The Double-Sided Force
by Chrazedgenius
Summary: There's a new acolyte at the Sith academy, one who is making allies of Sith and Jedi alike, and uniting both the Dark and the Light sides of the Force. She seeks the power to challenge even Darth Baras without ever leaving Korriban – and her ultimate goals are far grander. The Force is clearly with her. But in trying to bring unity, has she misunderstood its double-sided nature?
1. Caressa

Caressa loved the warm sun that shot its rays into her orange skin in the noonday desert. As she stepped off the cold metal shuttle that had brought her here, she took in a deep breath and closed her eyes. Korriban. She was finally here. This planet, with its wonderful dry heat, was her new home. It was the culmination of a long journey, and just the beginning of another, even worthier, one.

When she finished savoring the moment, she opened her eyes again, and continued forward, the shuttle taking off again behind her. She was met by a dark-skinned human man.

"At last, you've arrived," he said. "Good, good. There is much to do and every moment is critical. I'm Overseer Tremel. For decades, I have administered the trials that prove who is and is not worthy to join the Sith order. The trials are a chance to weed out the weak. Those who face them either survive and become Sith, or die."

Caressa was happy, so she let slip a smile as she replied playfully, "Thanks. I'll take the first option."

Overseer Tremel, however, was not amused. "This is no time for levity, acolyte. You are here and ahead of schedule because of me. I expect you to obey."

_Great_, thought Caressa, her smile evaporating. _A killjoy for a master_. _Ah, well. I will be free of him soon enough. For now, I shall do as he asks._

And so Caressa did, and she did it well. She was commanded to retrieve a Sith Warblade from a tomb, and to destroy the giant slugs that had come to reside there. When she had finished, she took her new warblade into the academy.

_Wow_, thought Caressa, exhaling. _I could get used to this place_.

The academy's high ceiling and walls weren't beautifully decorated or anything like that, nor were the groups of robed acolytes milling around and muttering to one another particularly inspiring. But there was a feeling in the place, a feeling located in the Force rather than in the world of the physical senses. A feeling of strength and power, of confidence and control. A feeling she loved. She breathed deeply, soaking in it, letting it strengthen her. This was her home now. She would excel here, she could sense it.

_It's funny how few Sith, at least in my experience, take the time to be sentimental about beautiful things like this_, she thought to herself as she walked to Overseer Tremel's office. _After all, "Through passion, I gain strength." Is not my love for the places I visit a passion?_

Two acolytes approached her, breaking her out of her musings. "Hey there, acolyte," one of them, a human with two large scars crisscrossing his face, called out in a commanding tone. "Hold on a moment. Let me get a look at you."

They were blocking her path, so she had no choice but to acquiesce to his command.

He scrutinized her body through narrowed eyes. "Hmm. A Zabrak. Several horns, red hair, facial tattoos. Short, but fit. You look impressive, to be sure. But don't think that will save you." He relaxed his gaze. "I'm Vemrin, and unlike you I've fought and bled for everything I have. I demand respect."

Caressa could already tell she wasn't going to like this Vemrin. But before she could respond, the second acolyte, a large burly guy, cut in. "This is ridiculous, Vemrin. Let's just kill her and hide the body."

_Kill me? _Caressa thought as her eyes widened in surprise. _Wow, that didn't take long. Hmm. They must be leaders among the acolytes, who see me as a threat._ Her eyes narrowed._ Good. I am one._

"We're not on Balmorra anymore, Dolgis," Vemrin replied. "There are rules. Traditions."

"Fine," Dolgis grumbled. "But listen to me, you useless priss," he pointed his finger at Caressa. "Acolytes may not be allowed to murder each other, but accidents happen. It isn't murder without witnesses."

Caressa elected not to respond with anything but an angry glare.

The two acolytes resumed walking. As Vemrin passed Caressa, he spat out, "No more warnings. I'm the alpha monster here. You go after me, you die."

Caressa let loose a smile despite herself. It felt like the threats of a gizka. She could sense some of the power of these two acolytes through the Force, and while their power was certainly not negligible, she knew herself to be the stronger. As long as she did not fall prey to trickery, but was fought honorably, she would win. Alas, she'd have to start sniffing her drink for poisons, though.

. . .

A few days passed in the academy. Caressa did whatever Tremel and the other masters required of her, be it passing judgment on prisoners, training with her warblade, or even, disgustingly, participating in a rite that required her to dip a human skull in a pool of blood. _I can't believe that that rite is as ancient as that old woman claimed, _Caressa thought._ When my mother talked about the ways of the ancient honorable Sith, before we were reduced to infighting squabblers, she never mentioned acts like that. I hope I'll get the chance to ask her about it._ In her heart, Caressa knew that event would be a long time in coming. When she'd been sent to Korriban, after inheriting the force-sensitivity of her parents, she knew she'd be working on her own for some time.

Now, she was just returning from the tomb of Marka Ragnos, after slaying a beast there as Tremel had instructed. She knew she was progressing well in her trials, and was eager to hear what Tremel would have to say to her latest accomplishment. But when she came around the corner of one of the corridors of the academy, she almost ran into someone large blocking her path.

"Well, look who's here," said Dolgis. "Remember me?"

"Oh, yes," said Caressa, smirking. "Vemrin's lackey. He's afraid of me, now, isn't he? Afraid I'll usurp his position as top student. So he sends you to challenge me."

"No," said Dolgis. "He sends me to kill you. Notice anything interesting?" He gestured at the empty corridors around them. "No witnesses. No witnesses means no rules. No more special treatment for you, now. You're just gonna be another dead failure on Korriban."

And with that, Dolgis attacked.

Dolgis put so much force into his initial slash, that Caressa, after neatly sidestepping it, was able to strike before he could recover. She quickly drew her blade and brought the blunt side down upon the hand that held Dolgis' training sword, at the same time as she Force-pushed upon his sword to drive it downward. The excessive force and the sting of Caressa's warblade together resulted in Dolgis losing his grip on his sword. It clattered to the ground, as Dolgis drew his bruised hand back with a cry.

He glared angrily at Caressa then, who pointed her sword at him and announced, "Beat you. Try again. Pick it up." She lowered her sword then, and backed away.

Dolgis looked confused, but then he leaped to do as instructed, picking his sword back up and immediately swinging at Caressa. This time he struck more carefully, so Caressa simply parried, and then initiated an attack of her own. They went back and forth a couple more times before Caressa saw an easy opening and slashed at his shoulder. "Aah," Dolgis cried out, putting his free hand on the wound. With his other hand he swung desperately, but Caressa sidestepped and brought her sword down across his chest, at the same time as she used the Force to tug on Dolgis' blade, ripping it out of his hand and into her own free one. She then pointed both her weapons at the now bleeding Dolgis. "Beat ya again," she announced.

"Alright, alright, I give," cried Dolgis, sinking to his knees and holding out one hand before him as another clutched his bloodied chest. "Look, I was wrong. You're… so strong. Please, I… I don't want to die!"

"Heh," chuckled Caressa. The fight had exhilarated her. She loved the rush of power, the feeling of having just utterly humiliated someone who'd thought to best her. Now she joked. "Not much of a Sith, are you? Offer no mercy and expect none, isn't that supposed to be our way?" She didn't wait for him to answer, but continued more seriously, "Tell me, why shouldn't I kill you? What would you do if I let you go?"

"I…" said, Dolgis, clearly straining to come up with some way to save his life. Caressa relished the fear in his eyes. "If you let me go, you won't see me again. I promise."

"Not good enough," said Caressa, inching her weapons closer to his exposed neck. "How about this? You leave Vemrin, and you become my lackey instead. You serve me as your master, and I let you live. Not only that, but as you have seen, I have the power to defeat Vemrin. I'm going to be ruling this school, Dolgis. By working for me, you assure yourself a place on the winning side. Prestige, success, these can be yours if you serve me faithfully, if you can prove to me that I should trust you, despite your attempt on my life here. But if you refuse me now, or if you try to betray me later, I will cut you down where you stand. What say you?"

"Yes, yes! I… I live to serve you, master," said Dolgis, bowing before Caressa.

"Good," said Caressa. "Then I hand you back your weapon." She did as she said, and then she moved forward, stepping around the defeated acolyte, and said, "Come along, Dolgis." She knew she looked unconcerned with whether Dolgis would use his newly reacquired weapon to strike her in the back, but she was observing his emotions carefully through the Force. She saw the hesitation, as he became aware of the opportunity she had just provided. Would he try to surprise her, betray her? Or accept her as his new master? In the end, Caressa felt his hesitation turn to grim acceptance, as Dolgis picked himself up off the floor and limped after her. Caressa smiled. He would never turn against her again, at least not while it looked like she had power. One step closer towards enacting the grand plan she had for the academy.


	2. Phyne

_Part 2: Phyne_

"There, Teeno. I believe that's the one," said a small dark-haired human girl, standing at the edge of the corridor Caressa was walking through.

"Really? All right. Hey, you!" said her companion, another large and burly young man like Dolgis, as he stepped out in front of Caressa, barring her progress.

"Careful, Teeno," the girl cried out, following him.

"Come on, I'm antsy for some action," Teeno replied. "You there," he stared down into Caressa's eyes. "Are you the big shot they're all talking about? The one who's been personally summoned by Darth Baras himself?"

It was true. After the encounter with Dolgis, Caressa had ordered him off to the infirmary to heal his wounds, and when she had entered the overseer's office, he'd told her that slaying the beast in the tomb of Marka Ragnos had inadvertently produced a tremor in the Force, one which a visiting Sith lord named Darth Baras had felt and apparently been intrigued by. The overseer had warned her that Darth Baras was a powerful and serious man, not to be trifled with, but if he could be impressed, then she might not only solidify her place as top student of the academy, but perhaps be taken on as his apprentice far ahead of schedule. Now, only a few hours later, she was on her way to meet this Sith lord, and already word had gotten around to the other students. Good.

"News sure does travel fast," she said, smiling up at Teeno with a smile that communicated more the feeling of bared teeth than genuine mirth.

"Please pardon my overeager friend," the human girl said quickly. "It's just that we've heard so much about you."

"And we want to get in good with you."

"Teeno!" the girl cried out chidingly.

Now, Caressa's smile slipped into genuine mirth.

"What my blunt partner means to say," the girl continued, "is that if you need anything or anyone, say, dealt with, we'd like you to consider us."

"She's talking about Vemrin," said Teeno, matter-of-factly. "We'll kill him for you."

The girl face-palmed briefly and then said, "Sorry. I should have had Teeno muzzled. So, what do you say? We know Vemrin tried to have you killed. Would you like him eliminated?"

Caressa considered that for a moment. Vemrin was the greatest threat to her plans amongst the acolytes. She couldn't kill him herself, not without becoming the immediate prime suspect for the crime. And she did want allies, and this did appear to be a suitable test of loyalty for them. She could even command Dolgis to go with them, betray his former leader. But one thing gave her pause.

"And how am I to know that you could succeed in this? Vemrin is a powerful warrior." It was true. Caressa knew herself to be more powerful, but she doubted that even this girl, Teeno, and Dolgis working together would be able to defeat the current top student.

It seemed the girl had anticipated this question, for she had a ready answer. "Let us prove ourselves to you. Spar with us, then decide if we have the skills to benefit you in this endeavor."

Caressa was liking this girl more and more. Smart, well-prepared, and impressively skilled with her speech. She suspected that, despite the girl's protestations, she had brought Teeno along precisely because she knew he would speak carelessly, which she could use to make herself look even better through polite apologies. She was clearly the leader of the pair standing before her, and Caressa suspected that she was a leader of several other acolytes besides. She would be a useful ally for Caressa. And, clearly, the girl had believed the same thing about Caressa.

"What is your name, friend?" Caressa asked. She, too, knew something about how to use words. Slipping in little phrases like that would serve to build trust between them.

"Phyne, my lord," replied the girl.

_Cleverly subservient,_ thought Caressa.

"All right Phyne," said Caressa. "I'll grant your request. Attack me now, with everything you have." With that, Caressa drew her blade and dropped into a battle stance.

"Come on, Teeno," said Phyne, drawing her own training saber. "Time to show our stuff."

For a minute, Caressa simply parried their attacks. Admittedly, she showed off a little while she was doing so, performing outlandish dodges and jumps when simple blocks would often have done just fine. But she took this opportunity to learn about her opponents. Her father had highly respected the Echani people, adopting many of their ways, and had taught her to do the same, back when she was a young child. This had included the Echani proclivity for knowing their opponents through battle. Caressa had been trained to see into someone's soul through combat, and that, plus her especially strong ability to sense emotions through the Force, was much of what had formed her into such a skilled warrior. Of course, the exceptional lightsaber lessons helped, but all the technique in the world couldn't compare to the knowledge of how to precisely predict your opponent's moves.

What she learned, was that Teeno was like Dolgis. Clumsy, reliant on the raw force of a lightsaber slash rather than any sort of Force powers or clever tactics. He did know how to work in a team, though, Caressa had to give him that. He'd silently coordinate his attack with Phyne's so as to force Caressa to defend two place at once. He wasn't nearly emotional enough, though. Caressa was somewhat surprised by that. Teeno felt calm throughout the battle, except if he made a mistake – then he'd briefly grow angry at himself but melt back down into concentrated powerful attacks. He needed to learn from Dolgis how to let rage make him strong.

Phyne, on the other hand, felt very emotional. Not with rage, so much, but with determination. Her will to prove herself, her resolve to earn Caressa's approval and become the most powerful person she could, coursed through her, adding energy to her every stroke. But this seemed even better than rage, for with determination came clear-sightedness. She was very aware of where Caressa had left herself relatively undefended, and her sword was always flying to those places, forcing Caressa to move and twist rapidly to keep up. She also really enjoyed feinting, something Caressa noted carefully. _She's a tricky one. I'll have to keep a close eye on her if I don't want to become one of those she tricks. At the same time, though, when she doesn't feint, she strikes very earnestly. I don't think she has it in her to betray, really and truly. She certainly seems to trust and rely on Teeno a great deal. It's more the little things, the subtle manipulations, that I'll have to watch out for with her. And that just means she's smart, and capable of acting independently. She would make an excellent second-in-command._

Once she was satisfied with her analysis of her two opponents, she stopped playing defense and switched to offense. She felt the surprise spring up in Teeno as he suddenly found himself hard-pressed to defend himself, right before he was rapped hard in the knee. Phyne didn't feel surprised, though; in fact, before Caressa had unleashed her assault, Phyne had been growing frustrated as she'd realized that she was failing to hit someone who was wasn't even sparring at full strength. A couple rounds of swordplay later, and Phyne had been hit in the shoulder, and then at her thigh. Teeno tried to attack again, but Caressa hit his sword upward with a force that nearly knocked it out of his hands, though he managed to hold his grip, unlike Dolgis. He did stagger back, however, and Caressa used the opportunity to stab him lightly in the chest. Teeno barked out in pain as he fell, and then groaned a few times as he struggled to right himself again.

Phyne put away her weapon. "You… took us both apart," she said, eyebrows furrowed. "This changes everything. From what I hear, Vemrin's every bit your physical equal. If we can't even hold up sparring against you, we'll never be able to kill him."

Caressa smiled widely. She loved the thrill of that combat, loved the mingling of souls that had occurred then. And of course, she loved the sensation of her own great power. "He's not my equal," she corrected. "I assure you, I am the stronger, and I will beat him in the end. But you are right, I don't think you will be able to kill him."

"Well," said Phyne, "this has been quite the sobering experience. Thanks for setting us straight."

_Look how she turns her failure into something useful, even as she thanks me to assure she remains on my good side. So clever. I must have her._

"I don't get it," said Teeno. "Are we going to kill somebody or not?"

"No, Teeno," Phyne answered, looking up sadly at her friend one and a half times her size.

"You know," Caressa interrupted, "this doesn't mean you've lost your chance to 'get in good with me.' I will have more enemies than just Vemrin soon enough, and allies in the academy will prove most useful. And despite your defeat here, I must admit that you've impressed me. You know how to work as a team, a feat I doubt many acolytes here could claim to share. Teeno fights with more strength than most, and you," and here Caressa pointed at Phyne, "know how to speak very well indeed. A silver tongue is frequently of more use than a lightsaber. So you don't need to kill someone to consider me a friend among the Sith. If you just agree to follow me, instead, to be first members and chief lieutenants in a little gang I'm going to be starting here soon enough, then I will do all in my power to ensure you succeed in this place." Having finished her speech, Caressa held out her open hand. "So, what do you say?"

Teeno spoke first as Phyne looked wonderingly at Caressa. "What does this mean, Phyne?"

A resolve broke over Phyne's eyes as a smile did over her lips. "It means," she said as she grabbed hold of Caressa's hand and shaked it in agreement, "We're going to have the most potent of allies."


	3. Tremel

_Part 3: Tremel_

Caressa continued on, having instructed Phyne and Teeno to get medpacs for their injuries and then meet her in the dueling room later that evening. Upon entering Darth Baras' quarters, she found him standing alone with his back to her at the far end of the room, gazing out a window into the desert.

"Acolyte," Baras said by way of greeting. "You're late." He turned around to face Caressa. Caressa was somewhat surprised to see that he was a portly, overweight man whose entire body was covered in armored robes and a full-head mask. She could discern nothing of his true appearance, but she thought the visage of his mask vaguely reminiscent of an assassin droid.

"Apologies, master," Caressa replied. "I was accosted by a couple other acolytes on my way here."

"Are you having trouble with acolyte Vemrin, supplicant?" Darth Baras asked.

_Interesting, _Caressa thought. _He's smart enough to anticipate that I would be having trouble with him, but not perceptive enough to see what had actually happened._

"Well sir," Caressa answered. "If he keeps insisting on challenging me the way he has, he's going to have trouble with me."

"He has been hardened into a lethal machine. Vemrin has paid his dues. He has fought a deck stacked against him to get here. You, on the other hand…" Baras strode over to Caressa. "Let me get a closer look at you." After the emotionless mask stared at Caressa for a couple seconds, Baras continued, "Yes, as I suspected. Overseer Tremel has done you and this Academy a great disservice. Your warblade came early, your saber training accelerated for your convenience, even a beast here on Korriban instead of offworld in the wild. The pacing of the trials is deliberate. Only full immersion over time produces results. Your mind is soft, unhoned, undisciplined."

"Sir, I must disagree," Caressa replied. "Emphatically."

"Oh?" Baras asked. "The first month of trials should be dedicated to philosophy, conceptual tactics, understanding of the Sith Code. Recite the Sith Code for me, acolyte, and explain its meaning in battle, war, and politics."

Caressa didn't hesitate. "The Sith code, sir, is as follows: Peace is a lie, there is only passion. Through passion, I gain strength. Through strength, I gain power. Through power, I gain victory. Through victory, my chains are broken. The Force shall free me. The code's consequences for battle, war, and politics are manifold, but they include the idea that in war we ought to seek as much power as we can possibly obtain, cutting out any weaknesses that could possibly threaten an absolute victory. There should also be no objection to any declaration of war, for there is no peace, war is always raging in the passions of our hearts, and physical combats only serve to make that explicit. The goal of making war and winning war is to break our chains, any restrictions that enemies such as the Jedi would seek to bind us with. To accomplish this, we are to make liberal use of the Force, and the strength it offers when we let our passions control us and it. As for politics, it shows that the primary concern of any governing body ought not to be the safety of its citizens, but rather their strength. In fact–"

"Stop," interrupted Barth. There was a moment of silence, as Baras' mask faced Caressa expressionlessly. "You surprise me, acolyte," he said, finally.

"I assure you, sir," replied Caressa. "I every bit deserve the special treatment I've received."

"Perhaps," said Baras, scratching his chin. "You will prove this to me, acolyte." Baras took a step backward from Caressa, lifted his head, and said, "_I_ am your master now. Tremel was becoming lax before you ever arrived. His unwillingness to adapt to the evolving Sith paradigm has become a liability. These are the actions of a traitor. Traitors are executed. I grant you immunity from punishment. Kill Tremel. If you do, you will be allowed to compete to become my apprentice, with all the power and authority that brings."

"And if I refuse?" Caressa asked, already suspecting the answer.

"Then I will slaughter you where you stand," replied Baras. "When you're done, bring me his hand as proof."

Caressa had briefly panicked a little inside – Tremel could be a powerful ally, she'd hate to kill him, and she knew she couldn't survive refusing Baras – but when Baras said that, she immediately relaxed. _His hand? _Caressa thought. _How's he supposed to tell that from the next man's? He's left me a loophole._

So Caressa backed out of the room with a parting, "It will be done as you command, my Lord," and she walked towards Tremel's office. _If Baras is to buy the deception, Tremel will have to leave the academy, _she thought. _Actually, this could be a great opportunity for me. Sparing Tremel will put him in my debt. He'll have to agree to ally with me._

When Caressa entered the overseer's office, he stood up from his desk. "Well?" he asked. "What did Baras have to say?"

"He…" Caressa added a little hesitation to her voice to show her reluctance, "He's ordered me to kill you."

"Then I have been outplayed," said Tremel, bowing his head. "Baras has the authority, but I did not think he would do something this overt. Either I die or he forces me to kill you and destroy my own plan. A master stroke." Tremel sighed. "Very well. You have your orders, acolyte. Know that it gives me no pleasure to kill you."

"Wait," said Caressa. "There is another option. For some reason, he asked for your hand as proof, rather than your head. We could find another man, a prisoner or slave, and I could show Baras that hand, instead, while you escape Korriban."

Overseer looked at Caressa quizzically. "I am surprised you would be willing to do such a thing. That is not the Sith way. But it doesn't matter. There are no other men with dark skin and a similar body type on this part of Korriban. And Baras would not afford you the time to go elsewhere. My hand serves as perfect a proof as my head."

"Okay, fine," said Caressa. "Then surely losing your hand would be preferable to losing your life."

"True," said Tremel, even as he drew his lightsaber from his belt. "But it is also true that killing you, distasteful though it may be, is preferable to losing my hand. I'll try to make your end quick and painless. It's the least I can do." With that, he ignited his saber, and attacked.

Caressa had been hoping to avoid this confrontation. For the first time, she'd have a real challenge on her hands. But she knew she wasn't entirely outclassed, despite the fact that Tremel was a full-fledged Sith. "Don't be so sure you'll win," she said, before raising her own blade to counter.

The battle was hard. Tremel knew how to fight, always blocking Caressa's thrusts and returning with his own to more vulnerable places. Worst of all, he kept reaching out with the Force to try to throw her off-balance. What Caressa discovered through this combat was that Tremel was a calculating man, one who could use every tool in his arsenal to strike in the best ways at the best times. However, fortunately, he was also a slow, hesitant man, someone who let opportunities for victory slip by out of fear, when they should have been exploited. Caressa used that, taking more risks than she normally would. It took a while, but eventually, one of those risks paid off hugely, and Caressa brought her blade down hard on Tremel's sword hand, cutting through the bone and severing it off in a spray of blood.

Tremel screamed in pain, clutching his wounded stump with his good hand. After a few seconds of grimaces and heavy breathing, when his pain had subsided enough that he could speak, Tremel gasped out to Caressa, "No. I'm… amazed. I knew you were strong in the Force, but not… like this. Baras will have the satisfaction… of my death, but I die knowing my… success, in training you. Go ahead… end this."

"I was serious in what I said before," Caressa replied, as she grabbed a medpac from her pocket and handed it to Tremel. "It was not just a ploy to get out of a fight, in case I lost. You would be very useful to me alive, Tremel." She called him by his first name instead of the usual "overseer," for that was no longer their relationship. The significance was not lost on Tremel.

"You would ask me… to serve you?" Tremel said, holding the medpac without using it. "I don't want your pity, acolyte."

"It's not pity. I don't want you to die. You're a valuable asset. I can see that, even if Baras cannot."

Tremel considered that for a moment. Then, he injected the medicine into his bleeding stump. "Hmm. You see clearly," he said. Already his breaths were coming easier and his blood was drying up. "But there is another problem. No one can leave Korriban without official clearance. Baras would know that you spared me."

"Then don't leave Korriban," Caressa said, feeling relieved that this whole event had gone the way she had hoped for. "But you obviously can't remain in the academy, either. I know of a nearby network of caves, one that I believe has gone entirely undiscovered by anything living, excepting the occasional shyrack or tukata. But there are supplies there, left from a much older time. Probably the ancient hideout of a slave rebellion, or of a group of failed acolytes. But it will do to keep you safe."

"What? How did you discover such a place? And what would you have me do with my safety? Simply subsist?"

"Of course not," said Caressa, keeping a straight face despite her temptation to smile. "To your first question, my mother discovered it when she was an acolyte here, looking for ancient relics for a now deceased Lord Zash. And to your second, I would have you help me train my allies amongst the other acolytes. Make us powerful, Tremel, and we shall defeat not just Vemrin, but even Baras, in the end. I have a plan to acquire more power in a shorter time than anyone else in the history of the Sith. When I succeed, your aid will be rewarded. Instead of a hermit, or a dead man, you will be a hero."

Tremel chuckled. "Coming from anyone else, I'd call them a lunatic and a fool. Coming from you, even with your strength in the Force I still say you are wildly idealistic. Defeat Baras, indeed. You have no chance."

"Humor me, then," said Caressa. "It's not like you have anything to lose. You try to leave Korriban, or stay here, and Baras kills you. Might as well see if I can do the impossible and deliver on my idealism."

"You make a good point," Tremel sighed. "I don't have much choice." Then he raised his head, and stared Caressa in the eye. "You're unlike any acolyte I've ever known. You act with the strength and deviousness of a Darth, even now. How?"

"The Force is working, Tremel," Caressa replied, no longer hiding her smile of pleasure at the power she was wielding over Tremel in this conversation. "It is accomplishing a great change throughout the galaxy. And it has gifted me, so that I could be an instrument of that change."

"The Force… doesn't work like that, acolyte," said Tremel.

"We'll see," Caressa grinned.

. . .

Once she had escorted Tremel, wearing a dark hooded cloak so as not to be identified, out of the academy and to the tiny crevice which marked the only known entrance to her cave system, a mile or so past the tomb of Marka Ragnos, Caressa returned to Darth Baras.

When she entered his office, Caressa noticed two things. The first was that the sun, which had been dying as she trekked back to the academy from the caves, had finally gone down, and the window at the back of the room now revealed the presence of thousands of brilliant stars, twinkling in the black. Caressa's heart leaped at the sight. She'd always loved the stars, the multitude of lights whirling around in a sea of dark. It was a metaphor for the Force, she felt. Those Sith who would seek to blot out the light would destroy all the beauty of the night. But then, so would those Jedi who prefer it to be perpetual day. No, it is only in the interplay of light and dark, swirling around one another in innumerable constellations, where true beauty, true power, even true justice, could be found.

The second thing she noticed, was that Baras was not expecting her. His mask hid all bodily expression, but he could not hide his emotions from the Force, and Caressa sensed his surprise.

"I have returned, master," she announced, smirking a little.

Baras eyed her warblade, slinged over her back with faint stains of red still sticking to it. "And with a bloodied weapon," he said coolly, betraying none of his initial emotion. "I assume this means Tremel is no more. Give me his hand."

Caressa produced Tremel's severed hand from the little sack she had been keeping it in. She had been tempted to keep the lightsaber it had still been clutching after the battle for herself, but she thought it wiser for her to return it to Tremel, to prevent tension in their relationship and so he could defend himself against beasts.

"Good," said Baras, taking the hand. He then slipped a ring that Tremel had been wearing off of it, handing it to Caressa. "Here," he said. "Take this one ring as a memento. Remembering the past can strengthen resolve and embolden the spirit."

"Indeed," said Caressa, pocketing it. _It'd strengthen me more if I sold it and bought a good armor mod, though, _she grumbled to herself. _Though… it is perhaps true that I should do a better job of drawing the strength of passion from my past experiences, instead of just my future plans._

Baras set the hand down on his desk, and continued. "I am impressed you had the fortitude to destroy him. You know he thought of you as family. How did it feel to betray him?"

That took Caressa aback. _I certainly never got that impression from him, _she thought. _He was decent, but not _that_ good._ _Although… my own idea of family is probably of something a lot more close-knit than most Sith's._

"It was quite difficult, Master," she answered, more or less truthfully. "He had earned my respect."

"Nothing worthwhile is ever easy," Baras replied. "Remember that." He paced a little as he continued. "'Through victory, our chains are broken.' By destroying Tremel, you have freed yourself from his shackles. And escaped his fate."

Caressa usually thought it too advantageous when superiors found her likable for her to risk explicit snark when she conversed with them. But she couldn't help herself in this case. "Yeah, and now I'm bound by your shackles," she answered.

"You'll find they are a marked improvement, with much greater potential range." Baras replied calmly. "Now, it is late," he said, stopping his pacing and standing before Caressa. "And you have had a full day. You are dismissed. I will summon you when I have your next task."

"As you say, my lord," Caressa said, bowing and taking a few steps backward before she turned and began to stride towards the dueling room.

Baras was right: today had been surprisingly long and arduous. It seemed like she'd slain the beast of Marka Ragnos a week ago, rather than early that morning. She knew the planet had longer days than the ones she was used to, but still. During the course of the day's events, she'd gained not just one, but four, allies – possibly more, if Phyne controlled other acolytes as Caressa suspected. And Caressa was far from finished.


	4. Eskella

_Part 4: Eskella_

A few weeks passed. Caressa spent all of her free time with her new allies, training them, helping them to grow in power. She taught Dolgis how to strike more carefully, Teeno more passionately, Phyne more forcefully. She drilled them on working together as a team, and on the strategic use of Force powers, and the various lightsaber forms. She paid very careful attention to their strength to make sure she wasn't making them so strong they'd be able to beat _her_, but it was looking like she needn't have bothered. The Force simply wasn't as strong with them, and while her combat training would give them huge advantages over other acolytes and beasts and the like, it'd be nearly useless against her near-precognitive combat awareness. Meanwhile, the other acolytes were thrilled to be receiving such power, even, or perhaps especially, Dolgis. Every time Caressa shared some of the secrets to her power with Dolgis, she felt his appreciation for her grow, as well as his resentment of Vemrin, who reserved all such prowess for himself. As for Teeno and Phyne, their excitement grew to nearly fanatical levels. Eventually – after asking permission, of course – they started bringing other friends of theirs to the lessons, and Caressa's suspicions about Phyne were confirmed. She naturally took a second in command role, leading her fellows while Caressa was working with someone else. Caressa tested Phyne's friends extensively, and all seemed satisfactory allies. Trustworthy too, as long as Caressa had power on offer, at least.

Near the end of the second week, Caressa took Phyne aside for a private conversation.

"You're all progressing very well," she said. "And I don't want that to stop when I can't be around. I have another ally, someone who should be happy to train you at any time. He lives in a nearby cave network. But if I take you to him, you must swear not to tell anyone. Strictly speaking, he's not supposed to be alive. If word gets out, I'll be in a lot of trouble."

"Yes, of course," Phyne agreed. "Any secret of yours is safe with me, and with Teeno too."

"Good," said Caressa. "Then, I'm taking you two to see him. After that, it will be your responsibility to decide when you want to visit him, to make sure no one follows you, and to bring with you only those others who you are certain will keep the secret. That's a lot of responsibility. I believe you can handle it. Don't disappoint me."

"No, you won't regret this, I promise you," said Phyne, her face beaming at the power she was being given.

"Excellent," said Caressa. "Then grab Teeno, and come with me."

It was while they were walking through another empty corridor that Caressa was accosted once again. This time it was by a young dark-skinned human woman, herself flanked by two acolytes just as Caressa was by Phyne and Teeno.

"You!" said the woman. "Murderer! Did you think you could kill my father and get away with it?"

"Your father?" said Caressa, furrowing her brow. "Oh! You must mean Tremel. I didn't know he had a daughter, and another acolyte, no less." Caressa hesitated a moment, but then decided to take a risk: things had been going so well for her so far. "But don't worry, he's not dead."

"That's a lie!" the woman cried out. "Lord Baras has his hand."

"Yes," said Caressa. "But just the hand. I mercifully spared your father's life."

"What?" said the woman, incredulous. "You took pity on him, and now he pretends to be dead?"

Caressa nodded, and then said, "Don't tell Darth Baras."

"Or what?" scoffed the woman. "You may not be a murderer, but your mercy proves you're not Sith material either. Lord Baras should know of your softness. Let him deal with you, while I hunt down my gutless father and end his humiliation."

_Damn it. _"Leave it alone," Caressa warned, baring her sharp Zabrak teeth. "Let your father and I live in peace."

The woman glared at her, and then said, "When I find him, I'll be sure to kiss him on the cheek for you." She looked over her shoulder at her lackeys, saying, "Come on boys, let's – ack!"

Caressa had taken advantage of her distraction to swiftly draw her blade and bring it down upon the woman in one long fluid motion. She reeled backward from the hit, but Caressa pressed the advantage, refusing to give her the chance to draw her own weapon. A few more swift strokes, and the woman was helpless on the ground, coughing up blood.

Meanwhile, her lackeys had drawn their weapons to rescue their leader, but they had been engaged by Phyne and Teeno. Their training paid huge dividends when they were both able to dispatch their opponent within moments, and without suffering any wounds themselves.

Caressa looked down at the dying woman. Such a shame. When she'd first been approached, she'd hoped for the opportunity to make a new ally. Instead, she'd turned out to be the sort of Sith that could not be reasoned with. Moreover, Caressa had to admit she felt a pang of guilt for this woman. She hadn't been fought honorably, but taken by surprise. Caressa had acted out of passion, a usually reliable instinct, but this time, she felt there was something reprehensible in her action.

The woman gave voice to such concern, gasping out, "Murderer. Deceiver. Monster. Couldn't even… have the decency to attack… when I was armed."

"I am sorry," said Caressa, crouching down beside her. "To be fair, though, it was foolish of you to taunt me and then let your guard down like that."

The woman only coughed violently in response.

"Tell me, before you die," said Caressa. "What's your name?"

"I… am Eskella," the woman cried out between fits. "And I… am the better… Sith."

She coughed up blood one last time, then finally fell silent. She was dead.

"Apparently not," Caressa whispered to her, as she closed Eskella's glazed eyes. Standing up then, she looked at Teeno and Phyne, who were likewise looking at her.

After a silent moment, she said, "Do you think you could have talked her out of exposing me, Phyne, if I had asked you to?"

"I'm not sure, Caressa," answered Phyne. "Maybe."

"Well then," said Caressa. "That's another mistake I made. I'll have to be more careful. And Phyne, for future reference, you're free to interject in situations like that without waiting for my permission. Just exercise your judgment."

"As you wish. Is… is Overseer Tremel the person you're taking us to see?" Phyne asked after a moment of hesitation.

Caressa nodded to her, smiling at her perceptiveness. "Yes." And then, sensing Phyne's confusion, she continued, "I spared him because it would give us more power to do so. _That _is the Sith way. Not refusing mercy for the sake of refusing mercy."

The answer satisfied Phyne. "That makes sense," she said.

"Can we get a move on?" Teeno interjected. "I'm antsy to meet this 'Tremel.'"

"Seems you're always antsy about something, Teeno," laughed Phyne. "We've fought K'lor slugs - maybe you should check your leg-guards for K'lor ants?"

Caressa laughed along with Phyne.


	5. Quorian

_Part 5: Quorian_

A few more days passed. Tremel kept his end of the bargain, training Phyne and Teeno, and later, Dolgis and Phyne's other friends, when Phyne showed them the caves. They grew stronger under his experienced supervision. Caressa had instructed Phyne and Teeno not to mention anything about Eskella to the others, for fear of the news of Eskella's death at her hands getting to Tremel, which might prompt him to betray her. She wasn't sure what she'd do if Tremel ever asked after his daughter, but so far it hadn't been an issue. Caressa suspected that he just assumed she was progressing well in the academy, and that he discounted any further interest in his daughter as inappropriate for a Sith. Such an attitude, though in this case convenient for Caressa, was one of the many things she thought flawed about Sith philosophy. _Not that Jedi philosophy is any better, _she mused to herself, as she walked back from saber lessons one morning. _The Sith believe they should forswear any sort of concern for their relatives because it makes them weak, and the Jedi believe the same because they think attachments lead to impartiality, fear, love – in a word, passions! Horror of horrors! If they'd just cease their willful ignorance for half a second, they'd see that people are passionate beings, and that _cannot_ be changed. And as for those Sith, their own code says that embracing passion is the way to strength, not weakness. In fact, I –_

"I have need of you, young one. Whatever errand your master has sent you on can wait until we are through." The voice of an old woman, one of the inquisitors of the academy, broke into Caressa's thoughts.

Caressa turned to her. She was tempted to put this demanding woman in her place, but she knew that'd be unwise. The woman had strength, and it'd be best to appear the picture of servanthood to the leaders. For the moment, anyway. "How may I aid you, Master?" she asked. She decided it wasn't worth mentioning that she wasn't actually on an errand. She did think it odd that Baras had yet to summon her, but she knew Vemrin had been waiting too.

"We are currently holding an important Jedi prisoner," began the inquisitor.

That grabbed Caressa's attention.

"A spy who attempted to reach this academy. We have plans for him. Upon capture, we found the Jedi's mind simple to manipulate. We fed him false memories through a combination of drugs and sorcery. Soon, he will return to his Jedi commanders and report the lies we fed him. He will know nothing of what we've done. All that remains is to stage his escape."

"I take it that's what you want me for?" Caressa asked.

"Indeed," said the woman. "You are young enough, new enough, to be a plausible traitor. You will go to the Jedi. Talk to him. Do as he asks. Earn his trust. When that is done, set him free. Do whatever is necessary to get him out of prison. We will ensure that he reaches his ship and returns safely to his Jedi friends."

Times like this, Caressa knew the Force was with her. A Jedi, on Korriban! How often do opportunities like these just fall into someone's lap? Only one thing might threaten her own plans for the Jedi. "How could you ensure that?" she asked.

"We will have a man tailing him," said the inquisitor. "And we've planted a device on his ship to track it and mark it as friendly to imperials. Though, why should that matter to you?"

"I suppose it doesn't," lied Caressa. _Damn. I guess the ship could take off without him on it? I couldn't remove the device without them knowing. And how could we lose the tail? Maybe…_

"Humph. Anyway, you'll find the Jedi Quorian Dorjis in the jail cells. He is still confused and should not be overly difficult to convince." With that, the old woman walked away.

_Quorian Dorjis! _Caressa thought, a smile forming on her lips. _I recognize that name! An ally of my father's. He must have come looking for me, he must have a message. Oh, this is exciting!_

Caressa made her way through the academy's corridors until she reached the jail, beaming all the way. When she entered the dimly lit room, the Jedi caught her attention immediately, what with the meditative posture he took up in the middle of his cell, and the mantra he was quoting to himself: "There is no emotion, there is peace. There is no ignorance, there is knowledge. The Jedi Code will guide me."

"You know that's false, right?" said Caressa, smirking. "There are plenty of things you and I are ignorant of or emotional about."

The Jedi opened his eyes and looked at her. "I… well, it's more about what should be than… than what is."

"A world with no ignorance, no emotion… good luck with that."

"You…you sound like Chasten. Like my friend on… with the Jedi." said Quorian.

_Poor guy sounds pretty disoriented,_ thought Caressa. _The inquisitors must have done a real number on his head._ "Don't tell anyone," Caressa said, lowering her voice and reaching out with the Force to make sure no one was eavesdropping, "but I'm his daughter."

"You are?" said the Jedi, standing up in his cell. "Then…then you're the one I was sent here to find. To Korriban. I am Quorian Dorjis. Your father had… has a message for you. It was… he wanted… I… blast! I can't remember it. What's going on? Why does my head hurt?"

"It's the inquisitors," answered Caressa. "They're messing with your mind. They pumped you full of drugs."

"I suspected as much," Quorian said sadly. "It's so hard to think straight."

"Listen," said Caressa. "I'm going to get you out of there. I know somewhere you can hide. The hard part's going to be making the Sith believe you've left the planet so they stop looking for you." _And making Tremel get along with him_, she thought to herself.

"My droid..." said Quorian. "He can help. He has my lightsaber, and a datapad. The datapad should contain your father's message. He's in my ship. Just past…past the tomb of Tulak Hord. Take a right. It's behind the third major sand dune."

"Okay," said Caressa, nodding. "I'll go see your droid. You just keep trying to clear your head." Caressa turned and walked out of the jail, through the academy, and into the desert of Korriban.

Finding the ship proved simple, if a bit more time-consuming than Caressa would have liked. It was a small one-man fighter, and the head of a small astromech droid was sticking out of a compartment behind the cockpit.

It beeped in a low pitch as Caressa approached. "Relax," she said in her best soothing voice. "I'm a friend."

The droid babbled something unintelligible.

_Sigh. One of the few things my parents didn't teach me: how to understand droid-speak. 'Huttese is far more useful,' they said. Well, I haven't used it yet. _"Don't you have something on me in your databanks?" she asked the droid. "I'm Caressa, the daughter of Chasten and Charra. Quorian sent me here, said you should have a datapad for me."

The droid started chattering wildly.

"I can't understand you," said Caressa, shaking her head slightly. "Are you worried about your master? He's fine, or he will be, anyway. I want him to stay here, though, and help me. But there's a trace, somewhere on the ship. Do you think you could find it and reprogram it? Make them believe you've left when you really haven't?"

The droid beeped.

"Is… is that a yes?" said Caressa.

The droid made the same beeping sound again.

Caressa scratched at one of her horns in thought, and then said, "Okay, that sounds like it'll be all right then. I'll ask the Jedi to talk to you before he leaves just to make sure, though. For now, let's have that datapad. Oh, and his lightsaber."

The droid beeped a few times, and then a compartment opened up out of his head. Caressa grabbed the items inside, which were the items she had requested. She pocketed the lightsaber, noticing it was the double-sided kind, and then held up the datapad to her eager eyes.

_Caressa, _it began simply. _Things on Coruscant and Tython are not going as well as we would have hoped. Ashara was actually attacked by a particularly hostile Jedi master a few days ago, and has been recovering in a nearby hospital. Meanwhile, I have had little luck recruiting anyone but padawans to our cause. They could grow stronger in time, but still, if only these Jedi weren't so damned entrenched in their ways. They prefer inaction to risk, they always have. And their usual paranoia about the dark side – an emotion, mind you, hypocrites that they are – clouds their minds and prevents them from seeing reason. The only real success I've had so far is with Quorian, though he's in it more for our encouragement of romantic love than anything else. There's another knight he's grown close to, you see: my companion Kira Carsen. Still, I'm sending him to you in hopes he'll be able to help lead your recruits along our middle path._

_And here's the good news: I got a message from your mother yesterday, and she's reported having much more success. The Sith are generally more open to that which promises them power, and her position as Dark Council member gives her a lot of influence. Her recruits are many; in fact, she's even absorbed the entire Revanite movement into our own. Imperial intelligence is taking notice – luckily, your aunt is with them to calm their fears and advocate for us. Believe it or not, your mother believes that she will be ready for our coordinated Force attack within a month. One of her main concerns, though, is with Darth Baras – a clever and influential Sith who has spoken against her on the council many times. He's on Korriban right now, according to her, so be on the lookout for him, and if you see the opportunity to eliminate him, do not hesitate to take it. That is all. I hope to hear from you soon._

Caressa lowered the datapad. _Good news and bad news, _she thought. _Well, at least I have a clear goal now, besides recruitment: kill my so-called master._ She scanned through the datapad again, not wanting to forget anything, and then she began to compose her own message in a new entry. She wrote about her little gang, especially Phyne, and about Tremel, and Baras, and Vemrin. She concluded optimistically, mentioning her frequent sense that the Force was with her. Then she handed the datapad back to the droid. "Here," she said. "See that this letter gets delivered to my father, when you leave Imperial space."

The droid beeped in response.

"Now," said Caressa, turning her face towards the desert horizon and leaning casually against the ship. "I'll need a plan."


	6. The Force

_Part 6: The Force_

"Caressa. You're back. My head's clearer now," said Quorian, as Caressa marched into the jail and up to his cell, an hour or so later.

"Good," she said. "Then here is your lightsaber." She pulled the weapon out of her pocket. "And here is your freedom." She pushed the button marked "release" on the nearby control panel, and the force fields containing him shimmered and evaporated.  
"Thank you," said Quorian. "Now I can get out of here. I have some training in Force camouflage, as you might expect from a Jedi sent to the Sith homeworld. I'll be fine."

"They'll have someone tracking you," said Caressa. "Think you can deal with him?"

"Definitely," said Quorian. "A dumb mistake got me captured, and I assure you, it won't happen again. I'll stealth over to my ship, take out my tracker, and then meet you at that place you mentioned, where I can hide."

"Thanks for being willing to stick around and help me," said Caressa.

"Your father saved my life a while back. It's the least I can do."

"Okay, just make sure your droid reprograms the trace they put on your ship. He'll need to make it seem like you left, when he really just moves far enough out of Imperial space to send a message, and then returns to make sure you'll have a way off-planet when the time comes."

"Don't worry," said Quorian. "It'll be done."

A few hours later, Caressa was waiting at the agreed upon meeting place outside the cave network, Teeno, Phyne, and Dolgis accompanying her. She figured it'd be better to make sure they could tolerate the Jedi before she tried to get Tremel to do so.

"It's time we had a heart-to-heart," Caressa opened her speech, as her accomplices gathered around her, leaning on nearby boulders under the hot afternoon sun. "I'm sure you've noticed by now that I'm not your average Sith. The fact that you're all with me now proves that. Why do think that is?"

Dolgis and Teeno glanced at one another, and Phyne furrowed her brow. After a second, Dolgis spoke up. "Because you're willing to risk trusting people?"

Caressa was a little surprised. She'd expected Phyne to speak first. "Right," she said. "But why I am willing to take that risk?"

"Because you want our power," said Teeno. "We make you stronger."

"Good. I'm willing to do controversial things for the sake of power. Take note of that. Personally, I think that makes me a truer Sith than the others around here, but that doesn't matter. What matters is the galaxy, and who is shaping it. Let me ask you something else. Who is best equipped to shape the galaxy, to make it into someplace worth loving, where every chain is truly broken?"

"Uh… you, boss?" answered Dolgis.

"Most Sith would think that's the right answer. But I know myself well enough to know where I am irreparably weak. I cannot create a utopia. Who can?"

They were silent. Caressa felt their emotions, finding that Dolgis and Teeno were just confused, while Phyne was filled with that determination that Caressa had felt upon sparring with her. That determination which increased her power, and her connection to the Force.

"I dunno," said Teeno slowly. "Phyne, don't you have any idea?"

"Well Teeno," said Phyne, not taking her eyes off Caressa, "I have one. Is it… are you talking about the Force?"

Caressa smiled. She suspected the Force itself had shown Phyne the answer. "Exactly. Remember the code. It's the _Force_ that will free us. Usually, Sith forget that, and try to free themselves by themselves, like prisoners rattling on their chains. But think about it. The Force permeates throughout all living things. It sees all. It knows all. It is, in the end, a god. And it alone has the circumspection necessary to bring about a true utopia."

"But," said Dolgis, frowning a little, "Doesn't that part of the code just mean we should use the Force to free ourselves? That's what I was taught."

"But how could we possibly know how to free ourselves, know what that would mean, on our own? After all, look at all the chains around us. Apprentice upon Master upon his Master, all the way up to the Emperor himself, and for all his power he still has his own burdens. He is not omnipotent. We've tried that way, and we've failed. The Sith order needs to change, it needs to recognize something that the Jedi order recognized long ago: The Force is not a tool. It's a force. It is meant to move, not to be moved by."

"You would have us become Jedi?" Dolgis said, incredulity and anger creeping into his voice. "To refuse to act while we 'wait on the Force'?"

"No," said Caressa. "That's the last thing I'd ask of you. The stupidity of the Jedi amazes me sometimes. Because they do claim to follow the Force, rather than command it, yes, they claim to seek out its will. Yet they only ever examine one side of it. They _know_ that a whole other side to their god exists, yet they refuse to learn about it. As a result, they are blind. Blind to the true nature of the double-sided Force."

"And the same could be said for Sith who refuse to examine the light side," Phyne spoke, demonstrating her perceptiveness.

Caressa shifted her gaze to her, smiling. "Exactly. You understand."

"I think I'm getting this," said Teeno in his deep voice. "Power, Force, both sides. But what I don't understand, is why did you bring us out here just to talk about this?" As if to illustrate, he wiped some sweat off his brow with his sleeve.

"Teeno!" Phyne hissed.

"It's okay, Phyne. The truth is, Teeno, I didn't. I brought you out here to meet someone. Someone who will be a huge asset to our little group here. But only if you can put your will to power before your fear. Remember what I've told you." So saying, Caressa turned to a nearby boulder. "You can reveal yourself now, Quorian."

The air in front of the boulder shimmered, and formed into the shape of a man who was leaning against the boulder, watching them carefully.

"How'd you know where I was hiding, Caressa?" Quorian asked good-naturedly, though Caressa could sense his anxiety at the presence of the other Sith.

"The Force showed me your emotions," she said. And then, thinking it'd be fun to adopt his own good-natured tone, she added, "Also, the smell."

Quorian chuckled as his eyes darted from Sith face to Sith face.

Dolgis, after recovering from his initial surprise, was the first to speak. "But… but that's a Jedi! I can feel the light side in him. He must be destroyed!"

Phyne, however, was smiling. "No Dolgis, don't you see? Caressa's brought him here to give us power, power that we can only get from the light side. He'll be useful."

Dolgis protested angrily, "Power? From the light side? What could _he_ possibly have to teach us, besides how best to bleed to death?"

Teeno, ever the direct one, pointed at Quorian and yelled, "You there. How can you help us?" Phyne and Dolgis turned to watch for his answer, smirking and scowling, respectively.

Quorian coughed, shot a glance at Caressa, and then answered. "Well, for one, I can teach you Force camouflage techniques. Unless you'd rather try your luck with one of your infamous Sith Assassins."

Caressa quietly laughed at that. Her mother was one of those feared Sith Assassins, and she hadn't even taught her own daughter how to cloak herself. They guarded their secrets like the last water on Tatooine.

"Plus," Quorian continued, "If you can learn to feel the light side, you can channel the Force into your body to heal yourself and augment your abilities, in ways the Dark Side cannot."

"Interesting," said Phyne. "I must admit though, I do worry, couldn't feeling the light side weaken us? That's what I've been taught." She looked quizzically at Caressa as she spoke.

"Not if you can regulate your emotions," Caressa answered her. "Rage is usually stronger than peace, as it lends more energy to your attacks. Feeling the light side when you need that energy will weaken you. But, contrary to what your masters have taught you, there are times when disciplined focus will serve you better than rage, so if you have the fortitude to switch your emotions between the two states at will, you'll be the stronger for it."

"That sounds hard," Teeno spoke. "How do you control your emotions like that?"

"It is difficult," Caressa said. "Emotions are, by their nature, unruly things. But the Force will help you, if you let it. Take your cue from the emotions you feel it communicating to you. If you let it direct you, and you're willing to listen to both sides of it, instead of gimping yourself by refusing half its advice, you'll succeed."

"Hmm," Teeno said aloud. "All right. I'm in."

"As am I," said Phyne. "Dolgis?"

Dolgis scowled, but Caressa could sense that his anger was directed more at the others overruling him than at the Jedi. In truth, she felt that he had actually come around on the idea. Power was a potent motivator. "All right," he said. "But if this guy ends up killing us, don't say I didn't warn you."

"Don't worry," said Caressa, already turning towards the nearby cave entrance. "In that case, we wouldn't be able to."

Phyne snickered behind her.

Caressa smiled. But then her smile evaporated and, rubbing her forehead, she whispered to herself, "Now, for Tremel. And for the first time in a long time… I have a bad feeling about this."

The group had only walked a short ways into the cave system before Tremel appeared before them, bathed in the glow of the old lanterns conveniently left over from the time of the cave's previous occupants.

"Ah, initiates, you've returned," he greeted them, grasping his saber hilt in his good hand while his stump lay uselessly at his side.

"Indeed," said Caressa, nodding at him. "And we come with a new ally, someone whom we hope you will allow to join you. He, too, needs to avoid detection by the academy."

"Well," said Tremel, raising an eyebrow – _uh-oh; he's already suspicious_, thought Caressa, feeling his emotions – "some company in this place would not go amiss. Who is this new ally?"

Caressa pointed to Quorian, who stood on her right. "This Force user has agreed to join our cause."

"'Force user?'" repeated Tremel, narrowing his eyes and peering at Quorian. "Meaning…." Then his eyes opened wide. "Jedi. He's a Jedi!" Tremel suddenly ignited the lightsaber he had been holding and raised it menacingly. "Why would you bring a Jedi here? He must be destroyed!"

"No!" Caressa cried out, holding out a hand. "He's an ally. He will help us."

"We will have more power with him than without him," Phyne interjected. "Power we'll need to defeat Baras."

"He cannot be trusted!" Tremel yelled. "And I have not so fallen from the Dark Side that I am willing to partner with the Sith's sworn enemy!"

"I understand your concern," Phyne continued in a soothing tone. "I was skeptical too. But if this man were your enemy, he'd have tried to attack you already, or else run away from us. Instead, he's staying to help, despite the danger to his life. That has to count for something."

"Sir," Quorian himself spoke. "I owe a great debt to Caressa's father. You have no reason to fear betrayal from me. And you'll find I'm not the sort of Jedi unwilling to work with a Sith towards a good end."

Teeno and Dolgis, meanwhile, after eyeing Tremel's ignited saber uncomfortably, silently took up their own training sabers, ready to ignite them at a moment's notice

"You cannot be serious!" Tremel protested to the group at large. "This is not the way of the Sith! You disappoint me."

"But it is the way of the Sith!" said Caressa, an angry tone inadvertently entering her voice. "The Sith crave power. Your passionate hatred for the Jedi gives you some power, but imagine how much more you could have if you replaced it with passionate determination for your shared goals."

"And," Phyne added, "Isn't your greatest desire at this point to get revenge on Baras? Quorian here is willing to help with that. Do you really want to turn him down merely to preserve the prejudices of the group that cast you out?"

Tremel just stood at first, glaring at them. Then, after several tense moments, he extinguished his lightsaber. "Very well. As you are all so fond of him, I will give the Jedi a chance. But he will stay in the eastern part of the caves, away from me."

"That sounds good to me," answered Quorian, his tense posture relaxing a little, but not fully.

"Thank you, Tremel," Caressa said. "You won't regret this."

"Perhaps not," Tremel answered. "But you might."

Caressa furrowed her brow. "What's that supposed to mean?"

"It means, every person you collect for your little party is another opportunity for someone to betray you. There's a reason the Sith prize self-sufficiency."

Caressa nodded. "I know. But the benefits outweigh the risk."

"If you say so," replied Tremel.


	7. Arzanon

_Part 7: Arzanon_

They trained together for a few hours after that. Caressa made sure the others got plenty of chances to work with Quorian, so that they could begin to trust him. True to his word, the initiates left their training a few hours later with the beginnings of new powers for channeling the Force to distort the light around them and move undetected.

But when they returned to the academy as the sun set over the desert mountains, they were approached outside the steps by a Sith Inquisitor and an Imperial Intelligence agent.

"You! Initiate!" the purple-robed inquisitor barked, pointing at Caressa. "I would speak with you."

Caressa's heart began to race, as the dark uniformed agent looked her up and down. This looked bad. For the first time since she'd arrived at Korriban, she felt real fear.

"What would you ask of me, my Lord?" she said as innocently as she could, carefully examining her accosters' emotions.

"I look at you, and I wonder… are you among the truly loyal, or do you hide treason in your heart?"

_Damn._

"Sir," Phyne spoke up. "If it means anything, we could all vouch for her loyalty." She gestured at herself, Teeno, and Dolgis.

"Unfortunately, it means nothing, for you are all suspect. Intelligence reports indicate the academy is sheltering traitors. New acolytes who seek to destroy our Empire's carefully built order and replace it with their own weak-minded heresies. We've been watching as they scuttle about this academy and plot against us, and we have discovered some of their faces and their names. It is the Emperor's will that the sands of Korriban be slaked with the blood of these traitors. But we do not yet know how far their corrupting influence has extended. So you must prove your allegiance, by executing them."

_Another rebellion in the Academy? It can't be us, or they'd be attacking. So there's more! This could be an incredible opportunity. But only if this is handled with expert care. Think! There's got to be some way to save them._

"Sir, are you sure we shouldn't just arrest them?" Caressa asked as innocently as possible. "They could be shown the error of their ways."

"Treason is a crime with only one punishment: death," growled the deep-voiced Inquisitor. "If you lack the resolve to uphold the law, that will say much about you."

_Well, it was worth a shot, _Caressa thought sadly.

The agent, a slender woman covering her shaved head with a hat that matched her dark grey uniform, spoke for the first time. Her tone was matter-of-fact. "I'll give you the means to identify the traitors. Eliminate all four of them to prove your loyalty. Then return to Inquisitor Arzanon." So saying, she handed Caressa a small metal scanner.

"I'll be watching your progress with great interest," added the Inquisitor. "Go now. See that the Emperor's will is done."

Caressa bowed in feigned respect, and led her companions past her accosters into the academy. As she walked down an empty hallway, she reached out with the Force, and breathed deeply of the passion and strength that imbued the hard metal environment. She felt her fear drain away, and she smiled. _Control_, she thought. _I've regained it. And it feels so good._

After checking for eavesdroppers with the Force, she spun to her allies. "So. You heard the Inquisitor. There are traitors. What do you think we should do?"

They all frowned. "Uh, kill them?" answered Dolgis, like it was the most obvious thing in the world.

Caressa waited, but neither of the others disagreed, instead watching her, puzzled.

"Or… we could put them in our debt," she said. "They must realize they're in danger. We provide an escape, make the academy believe they are dead, they join our party in gratitude, and help us take down Baras in the end, seeing as how that would meet both our goals."

"But, Caressa… that's insane!" Teeno protested.

Phyne peered at her. "I wouldn't put it quite like that, but I must confess this sounds like a very risky idea, Caressa. How could we possibly even hide them?"

"And why would we even go against the empire in the first place?" Dolgis raised his voice and narrowed his eyes at her.

"For the same reason we went against it in leaving the Jedi alive," answered Caressa. "Power. And we could hide them the same way we hid Quorian. Using the Force camouflage techniques he taught us, escorting them to the caves."

"But wouldn't they know? Surely they'll check for bodies," said Phyne, furrowing her brow.

"And besides," cut in Dolgis. "That inquisitor implied they're spying on us. Maybe even right now."

"I doubt it," said Caressa. "I'm pretty good at checking the emotions of those around me with the Force. Inquisitor Arzanon was putting out a lot of insincere bravado. The main thing I felt them having any sort of concern about was this scanner." So saying, Caressa lifted the scanner in her hands up to her face, and read a series of profiles, which included names, pictures of faces, room numbers in the academy, suspicion level, and "status." "Let me just look though this real quick," Caressa said to the others. "If I'm right…" she trailed off.

Under the category of suspicion level, she saw that most names were labelled "apparently loyal," though four, her four targets, she supposed, were labelled "traitor." A few other names, of which the only one she recognized was her own, were labelled "under suspicion." _Great_, she thought sarcastically. Meanwhile, under the category of status, there were only two labels: living and deceased. _Ah, and how do you tell who is which?_ she thought.

A voice interrupted her examination. "Caressa, just what are you doing?" asked Teeno bluntly.

"_Teeno_," Phyne hissed.

Caressa looked up and smiled. "It's okay, Phyne. See, Inquisitor Arzanon and that girl from Intelligence, whatever her name is, they're not really the sort to dirty themselves doing the fieldwork of checking for bodies or spying on us, at least not when they can program a droid to do the same."

"You mean…" Phyne began, pointing at the scanner.

"Right. This thing here is bugged, and it's also capable of scanning its environment for dead bodies, which it can identify according to its list of students here."

"But then, if it's bugged, they've heard all this!" protested Dolgis. "I am not a traitor! They made me go with them!" he addressed the bug.

"Dolgis…" Caressa growled, baring her teeth at him. "We're all in this together now. The Empire will blame you for aiding a Jedi. So let's have none of that." Then she relaxed, and said, "besides, this isn't the sort of bug that transmits sounds as it is happening – it merely records them to playback later. Further proof that the Force is with us, since otherwise we'd be screwed. I can feel for the emotions of organic eavesdroppers, but I can't detect droids." _That's going to get me in trouble sometime, I can feel it. I guess for now I just have to trust the Force. _"But now, all we have to do is tamper with the bug a little to save ourselves, and then tamper with its analysis of who's dead and who's alive to save the traitors."

"How did you discover all that just from looking at the scanner?" asked Phyne.

"I have…a friend… in Imperial Intelligence. I know what to look for."

"Well, did your friend teach you how to tamper with bugs?" said Dolgis angrily. "'Cause I don't have the slicing know-how."

"No… but my father did, oddly enough. I've seen Jedi and Sith use the Force to move large starships, it stands to reason they'd be able to use it to manipulate the micro-components in computers too. It's a mystery to me why more Force users don't seek that skill."

"You mean… you can use the Force to tamper with that scanner?" asked Phyne. "That's incredible! Can you teach us?"

"Another time, perhaps," said Caressa, smiling. _Always smart to make sure they know I'm leaving some power in reserve. _"For now, let me give this a try. Should take just a minute or two..."

With that, Caressa closed her eyes and began to meditate, one hand hovering over the scanner held in her other hand. The truth was that she hadn't had the opportunity to practice this power in years, and she was a little bit afraid she wouldn't be able to succeed. However, she trusted the Force to lead her when she was uncertain. So thinking, she reached out with the Force and plunged her mind into the inner workings of the scanner, weaving through circuits and switches in search of her targets. She wasn't quite sure what she was looking for, she realized, but her faith was rewarded when she kept feeling tuggings on her mind to go in certain directions, and finally she arrived at what she recognized was the coding for the bug. She spent a few minutes, then, thinking up some convincing replacement dialogue, and when she was satisfied, she reprogrammed the bug with her replacement. Next, she reached out for the part of the scanner that checked for life signs, and in much the same manner, tampered with it so that all the profiles of the traitors would read "deceased." Once done, she returned to her own self.

The others had shifted positions somewhat, and Dolgis was sitting down on the hallway floor, but nothing was amiss. A_ctually, I probably should have gone into a private room for this, _Caressa chided herself. _Somebody could have walked by and seen that. Oh well. _"Mission accomplished," she announced to the others.

"You reprogrammed the bug?" asked Dolgis worriedly, climbing to his feet.

"Indeed. You have nothing to fear, Dolgis."

"Well then," said Phyne. "Am I right in thinking that all that's left is to actually talk to the traitors and see if they want to join us?"

"You are right," answered Caressa, smiling. "Let's go."


	8. Revanites

_Part 8: Revanites_

When they reached the room recorded in the scanner as belonging to the first traitor, they knocked on the door. A moment later, a mousey-haired young acolyte with angry eyes opened the door and stood before them. "What do you want?" he asked gruffly.

"We're friends," answered Phyne. While walking down the corridors, Caressa had asked her to be the one to explain the situation to the accused traitors, and she was doing her best to sound winsome now. "Friends who've come to warn you that the Empire suspects you of plotting against it. They've ordered your execution."

The traitor's eyebrows jumped up in surprise momentarily, before his face hardened. "What's your game?" he asked with suspicion. "Why would you say such a thing?"

Caressa noted, by feeling his emotions through the Force, that his fight or flight mechanism was kicking in. One wrong move and the man was likely to attack them in desperation.

"We want to you to fight for us!" announced Teeno.

This time, Caressa cringed along with Phyne. She glanced at the traitor's face, but thankfully, he was still simply staring angrily at them. In fact, if she wasn't mistaken, she was feeling that he was… intrigued?

Phyne recovered quickly. "Teeno!" she hissed, and then said to the traitor, "It so happens that our own group is interested in… allying, with your own. We have been asked to see to your execution. We will instead deceive them into thinking you are dead, and provide you with a place to hide for the time being, if in exchange you will help us… uh, change some features… of the leadership of this Academy, when the time comes."

The traitor was silent for a moment. And then he asked, "And how do I know you're telling the truth?"

"Uh, well," said Phyne, "We have here the scanner an Intelligence Agent gave us to help us identify you." She motioned at Caressa, who nodded and handed over the device for him to inspect. "They know who you are. At this point, if you refuse our help to hide you, then, if I may be as blunt as my friend here," she gestured at Teeno, "you're… well, dead."

The traitor looked at the scanner for a few seconds, and then handed it back. "They think I'm already dead?" he asked, pointing at the change Caressa had made.

"We modified the scanner so it would lie to them," answered Phyne. "Of course, that will only work if you agree to go into hiding, otherwise they'll know it was a lie."

"And if I don't agree, the four of you will make sure it becomes true?" asked the traitor, narrowing his eyes.

Phyne shifted uncomfortably. This time, Dolgis was the one to break in. "Yes," he said, matter-of-factly.

There was a tense pause. And then a slight smile erupted over the traitor's face. "You play your game well," he said. "I will work with you. Come with me, and we shall speak to my allies as well."

Caressa breathed a sigh of relief.

Convincing the three other traitors was simple once they had the first on their side. During the course of the conversations, Caressa discovered why, exactly, they'd been labelled traitors: they were Revanites. Rather than taking the Emperor as their ultimate master, the ideal they looked to was Darth Revan. Caressa herself was a fan of Darth Revan to some extent. He understood many principles she embraced: combining the light side and the dark side, amassing as many allies as possible, and so on. The only real problem she had with him, in fact, and the reason she could not follow Revan as the Revanites did, was that Revan had failed. He'd faced the Emperor, only to be betrayed by an ally: Lord Scourge, who had become convinced that he would fail and decided to wait for a more favorable time for destroying the Emperor. Scourge had later allied with her father, believing him to be the best chance at destroying the Emperor. Her father wasn't so foolish as to try a second physical attack on the Emperor – Revan's failure had been useful in that it had proven the Emperor to be nearly invulnerable to that means of attack. That was why her father, together with Scourge and her mother, had come up with the plan of the coordinated Force attack. The Emperor could resist the light side. He had mastered the dark side. But nothing could overcome the Force, raw and unrestrained, in its maximum godhood.

She didn't mention any of this to her new allies. Except the part where she herself was a fan of Darth Revan.

"No kidding?" asked one of the new acolytes as they left the academy for the caves – the black Korriban night rendering them indistinguishable from any other given group of acolytes to any watching eyes. "Might you be interested in joining our order, then?"

"Actually," said Caressa, smiling. "I'm given to understand that your leaders have already joined _my_ order."

The acolyte, a blond and pale boy, furrowed his brow. "What do you mean?"

"Have you heard of Lord Chara, on the Dark Council? I… follow her." Caressa decided not to reveal the true nature of their relationship just yet. Both of them would need to be able to plausibly deny a strong connection with the other in case something went wrong with the mission of either. Then, smiling to herself, she added, "I suppose you could call me a Charite."

"Lord Chara?" said the boy, eyes widening slightly. "The one who defeated Darth Thanaton? Yes, my father back on Dromund Kass has spoken of her. She's promised to advocate for us before the dark council, and support our mission, in exchange for certain services."

"So," said Caressa. "Our parents have allied themselves to seek change on Dromund Kass. And now their children ally themselves to seek change on Korriban." She grinned. "The Emperor won't know what hit him."

After leading the Revanites to the cave network, introducing them to Quorian and Tremel, returning to Inquisitor Arzanon and presenting him with the hacked scanner (which he, thankfully, accepted with just a glare and the false claim, "I watched you deal with those traitors. Well done."), Caressa felt exhausted. It had been another packed day – and night too, this time. She dismissed her allies to their chambers, and retired to her own. She barely paused to undress herself before she crawled into her bed, and sleep took her. The Force blessed her with pleasant dreams that night. She was empress of the galaxy, and everyone was coming to her to express their love and happiness. Her parents were there, and Ashara, and Scourge, and Phyne, and Revan, and Baras. They all told her they were proud of her, for she had succeeded in ending war in the galaxy, even while preserving the freedom of natural passions. The worthy goals of light and dark found their fulfillment in her.

The orange Zabrak lips of her sleeping face pulled into a small contented smile.


End file.
